Johnston ‘was pretty pumped’

Matt Johnston was a huge Doug Gilmour fan growing up and on Tuesday, the Winnipegger had a chance to tee it up with his favourite NHLer.

Johnston was among the 18 Canadian Tour pro’s to participate in the Jonathan Toews and Friends Celebrity Pro-Am at Pine Ridge Golf Club on Tuesday.

The event featured the Chicago Blackhawks captain along with Gilmour and 16 other current and former NHLers, and attracted several thousands of fans hoping to get a glimpse and, in many cases, an autograph.

“I was pretty pumped. It was awesome, (Gilmour) is a great guy and it was cool to talk to him about what he’s doing and what he’s done,” said Johnston, who played hockey growing up and is a proud owner of a No. 93 Toronto Maple Leafs Gilmour jersey. “You can tell he’s a pretty passionate individual when you get him going about hockey.

“It wasn’t exactly a regular pro-am. If the crowds are like this during the week, it’ll be pretty crazy. It’s just a different buzz and different energy with these guys. Hockey rules here and all the players are excited to see these guys too.”

Naturally, talk turned to the return of the Winnipeg Jets to the NHL.

“Getting a chance to play against them will be a pretty special moment,” New Jersey Devils centre Travis Zajac said. “I’ve already marked the dates down on the calendar, Dec. 3, Jan. 14. If people are looking for tickets, I’m going to be shutting off my phone for those days.

“It’s going to be exciting, the building is going to be electric and everyone is talking about the Jets. Those guys will have fun here.”

Although he was young when the Jets left, Zajac’s memories of watching them fueled his journey to the NHL.

“I had a chance to watch them, learn from them and it was always a goal of mine to play in the NHL because I wanted to be like those guys (on the Jets),” Zajac said. “It made me work a little harder and try to obtain that goal. I think it’ll be great for the community.”

Detroit Red Wings centre Darren Helm (still sporting a bushy playoff beard) is bummed he won’t play a road game in Winnipeg this season but excited nonetheless.

“That’s too bad, a lot of people were hoping to see Detroit in Winnipeg at least once,” Helm said. “I’m a little bit disappointed to not get a chance to come home and play in front of family and friends. I guess it will limit the hassle of trying to scrounge up tickets for everybody.

“It’s been a long time since the Jets have been in the league and for every team, it’s going to be a great experience to have them in their rink or playing in Winnipeg. It’s great for hockey to have another Canadian team.”

The official 72-hole Canadian Tour tournament gets underway on Thursday morning.